Truth about night out will emerge: Thompson

CELTIC midfielder Alan Thompson is confident the truth about the players' controversial Christmas night out on Tyneside will emerge.

Johan Mjallby, Bobby Petta and Joos Valgaeren were all arrested and held overnight after an alleged altercation with a newspaper photographer in Newcastle during the week.

Midfielder Neil Lennon was also questioned by the police after the same incident but was later released.

But, after the 2-0 win over Dundee on Saturday, former Bolton and Aston Villa man Thompson believes the truth of the evening will eventually surface.

Thompson said: "It was a difficult game (against Dundee) after the week that everyone has had. I don't think that will go down as one of the best performances this season but it was important that we got the three points.

"It has been a difficult week but hopefully the truth will come out eventually and the most important thing is to look ahead and take full points from the games that we have before the winter break in Florida."

Meanwhile, Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is hopeful a hernia operation will not rob him of the services of goalkeeper Robert Douglas.

The Scotland international is due to go under the knife in early January, having agreed to play through the pain barrier until the winter break because Magnus Hedman, the Sweden goalkeeper, is not fit either.

The Premier League resumes on Wednesday, January 29, when Celtic have a home game with Dundee United although there is a Scottish Cup match the Saturday before that.

It will be touch and go for Douglas, therefore, as he is expected to require three or four weeks to recover.

O'Neill said: "He is scheduled to have the operation on January 7 or 8.

"I think he can soldier on until then because Magnus is making good progress, but has done, in terms of playing U-21 games, nothing although he has been in training with the first-team squad for a few days.

"At a pinch I suppose he (Hedman) could have played against Dundee had it come to it, but Rab is soldiering on and if he continues to soldier on in that fashion, I will be delighted."

Hedman's pedigree as a goalkeeper with World Cup experience means Douglas' absence would not be too much of a blow to the Hoops.

But the Scotland number one will be reluctant to surrender his position of supremacy which he has maintained since the Swede's £1.5million arrival from Coventry in August.